Medical attention was also scarce for the family where upon Scobie severely cutting his hand while on the job, all possible first aid, (which wasn't much), must be administered due to the unsanitary conditions that surrounded him which were so bad that even "the smallest scratch in this country turned green if it were neglected for an hour" (40). .
The novel carried on by going through many "day-in-the-live" days with Scobie and his job on the police force. Being on the police force, Scobie's depression and stress was bolstered by the things that he had to see and deal with daily. Scobie, being very introverted like Greene, kept it all bottled up inside though. The only person who really felt and understood Scobie's pain was his wife, who was so hurt by seeing him hurt that she was the one who finally stood up and decided to do something to right it all. .
Louise felt that the only way to remove Scobie from this unhealthy lifestyle that was also taking its toll on her too was to get away from the situation completely and to leave Freetown. Scobie was informed of this possibility and thought that it would be a good idea but there was absolutely no way to finance it, the family was basically stuck in Freetown. It wasn't until after Scobie started to realize the detrimental effects of this town and his actions on Louise that he saw how important it was for her to get away from it. So instead of both of them leaving, Scobie suggested that just Louise leave because he would be able to finance just her to travel somewhere but not both of them. Also as harmful as life in Freetown was on Scobie, he felt that with faith and perseverance, he could make it- a characteristic seen in Greene's life in his tormented younger years. .
As much as Louise doesn't want to leave him behind, she said that she "could go to South Africa and wait until you have leave because you"ll be retiring soon.
